04Sep15

Saudi al Qaeda cleric showcases training camp for children in Syria

A group led by Abdullah al Muhaysini, a popular al Qaeda-linked cleric in
Syria, has released a video showing a training camp for children likely located
in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. The video is for the "Cubs of al
Aqsa [referring to the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem] camp" and has been
translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.

The video starts with a young boy decrying organizations for children in Syria.
"O you who established organizations for protecting the rights of children!"
The child goes on to say, "I am a child and my rights were violated, my school
destroyed, and my dreams lost. I lost my mother and father under the rubble.
You have heard my cries, you have heard my groans, you saw my tears and
my blood and none of you did anything for me!"

The child ends with "So here I am, one of the cubs of Islam. Here I am today,
one of the cubs of Tawhid [monotheism]. I took off the cloak of childhood and
the innocence of children, and I went out to emulate men! I share with them
the concern of the life in the defense of the land, the honor, and the religion."

Abdullah al Muhaysini then makes a short speech calling out to different areas
of Syria to "wait for glad tidings." He exclaims, "O every land of the Muslims
defiled by the occupiers! Wait for the glad tidings that the sons of your
Ummah, the sons of Islam, have presented their elder and their young men,
their men and their children [for sacrifice], and that the Islamic giant has
awoke!"

The rest of the video shows several children training in the camp with physical
exercises and weapons drills.

In addition to the latest facility, at least 14 other jihadist training camps for
children in Iraq and Syria have been identified by The Long War Journal.
Many of these camps are run by the Islamic State, but the Al Nusrah Front, al
Qaeda's official branch in Syria, the Turkistan Islamic Party, and the
Chechen-led Junud al Sham also run camps for children.

Since the beginning of 2012, a total of 130 camps have been identified as
being operational at one point in time. Of those, 94 have been found in Syria,
and 36 in Iraq. The Islamic State has operated 62 camps (34 in Iraq, 28 in
Syria). The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, has operated
24 facilities inside Syria. Allied jihadist groups have run 44 other camps (42 in
Syria and two in Iraq).

[Source: By Caleb Weiss, Threat Matrix, The Long War Journal, NJ, 04Sep15]

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